The Funeral Portrait / The Rasmus / The Archers / Glasswaves

The Funeral Portrait Put A Hex on the Nation in Buffalo, NY

***The Funeral Portrait – Rec Room, Buffalo, NY***

Exploding onto the scene recently, despite being formed a decade ago, The Funeral Portrait brought their distinct sound once again to Buffalo, NY. Having last played here in on Halloween 2024 as an opener, this time they were the headliner. Heading out on tour supporting Ice Nine Kills, The Funeral Portrait decided to fill some days off by headlining shows with support from The Rasmus, The Archers and Glasswaves.

For those that have seen The Funeral Portrait before, attending this show was a no-brainer. For those that haven’t been quiet so lucky, this was a great way to catch a phenomenal band. Saturday evening in downtown Buffalo, a crowd, many already sporting The Funeral Portrait merch, quickly gathered before doors opened in order to secure a good spot close to the stage.

The Funeral Portrait songs are heavy on mental health and accepting yourself as is. They respectfully refer to their fanbase as The Casket Crew and make a point of thanking each and everyone in attendance for their support. Vocalist, Lee Jennings makes a point of telling the crowd he intends to hang around after the show to personally thank, talk and pose for photos with anyone that wants, free of charge. You can genuinely tell he deeply appreciates his fans as much as they do him.

The energy they bring to the stage is spectacular to say the least. Each member entertaining on their own, yet it all merges fluidly so as not to steal the show from another. Jennings is joined by Cody Weissinger (lead guitar), Caleb Freihaut (rhythm guitar/auxiliary), Robert Weston (bass) and Homer Umbanhower (drums).

Post-emo theatrical is the best way to classify them. The show was chock full of emotions of all types as Jennings gave insights into some of their songs and stories of his growing up. The crowd cheered and sang along to the every song performed. They are definitely on the path to headlining larger venues and appear to be able to handle the responsibility to entertain the masses when they get there. Checking them out would not be a waste of your time!

The Funeral Portrait setlist :

Chernobyl
You’re So Ugly When You Cry
Paper Mache Man
Blood Mother
Voodoo Doll
Doom & Gloom
Generation Psycho
Flowers In The Attic
Hearse For Two
Stay Weird
Dark Thoughts
Holy Water
Suffocate City
Alien
Casanova {C’est La Vie}

***The Rasmus – Rec Room, Buffalo, NY***

Having not toured in the US in over 15years Finnish band, The Rasmus, were direct support on this run with The Funeral Portrait. Weirdo, the band’s eleventh studio album is expected to drop in September of 2025. Their latest single off it, Creatures of Chaos, is an amazing earworm and most likely have garnered the band new found interest from fans. Their sound is a mix of rock /pop and hints of dark-melancholy. Having never played Buffalo, NY previously, they were received graciously and mentioned wanting to return in the future and I look forward to it.

The Rasmus consists of vocalist Lauri Ylonen, bass player Eero Heinonen, drummer Aki Hakala, and guitarist Emilia Suhonen “Emppu”.

The Rasmus setlist:

First Day Of My Life
In My Life
Rest In Pieces
Time To Burn
Guilty
October & April
Creatures Of Chaos
No Fear
Livin’ In A World Without You
In The Shadows

***The Archers – Rec Room, Buffalo, NY***

Wisconsin metal-core band, The Archers, have a brand new EP, Temporary High, coming out in June. They performed their latest single, Better Off off that forthcoming release. The crowd responded extremely well to their set and seemed to enjoy their performance, in fact singing along to a few songs.

The Archers is made up of Nathanael Pulley {vocals}, Ben Koehler {guitar}, Oscar Porter {bass/vocals}, and Grayson Mesarosh {drums}.

The Archers setlist:

Drag Me Out
Made For Love
Say This Sober
Never Enough
Better Off
Perfect Strangers
Bitter

Rochester, NY natives Glasswaves kicked off the evening with an intense set that the crowd ate up. Having recently released their debut EP, It Was Always Meant To End, the band has been gaining popularity. They are a band worth keeping an eye on.